Courtesy of RedWingsBaseball.com
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Rochester Red Wings got a pair of three-run innings in both the fifth and the eighth but the Buffalo Bisons’ used a three-run eighth to break a tie and avoid the four-game sweep with a 9-6 win.
The Wings (35-26) took three of four games against the Bisons in the split home-road series.
Red Wings’ starter Andrew Albers had a rough going through the first three frames as he surrendered at least one run in each of the first three innings.
The Bisons (32-28) got on the board right away in the first. Dalton Pompey and Domonic Brown led off with singles followed by RBI singles from Jesus Montero and A.J. Jimenez to make it 2-0 after the first.
Buffalo tacked on another in both the second and third frames as well. In the second David Adams doubled then scored later on a Brown single and Jesus Montero lifted a slow curve off of Albers in the fourth for a solo shot in the third to make it 4-0.
Bisons’ starter Roberto Hernandez was dialed in from the start. Through the first three innings he retired nine of the first 11 batters he faced without surrendering a hit. Hernandez did not give up a hit until the fourth inning when Jorge Polanco led off the inning with a single.
Hernandez got the no-decision after going 4.2 innings and allowing three runs on three hits with five walks and four strikeouts.
The Wings put crooked numbers on the scoreboard in the fifth. With two outs, James Beresford lined a single up the middle followed by back-to-back walks from Hernandez to load the bases. Kennys Vargas stepped to the dish representing the tying run and took a low fastball and golfed it to the wall in straightaway center field that cleared the bases to make it 4-3 after five innings.
After the early inning struggles Albers settled in and tossed scoreless frames in the fourth and the fifth but Buffalo pulled him out in the sixth. Albers struck out the first two batters but gave up a single and another batter reached on an error to signal the end of his afternoon. Reliever Nick Greenwood, makng his Red Wings’ debut, allowed a single to Brown that scored Alexi Casilla and a fielding error allowed another run to plate making it 6-3.
Rochester came right back with a three-spot in the eighth frame to tie it up. Wilfredo Tovar had a two-RBI line drive single up the middle to score Tommy Field and Buck Britton followed by an Adam Brett Walker double down the line in right to score Tovar and square the scoreboard up at 6-6.
The tie game meant Albers was off the hook for the decision. He went 5.2 innings and gave up six runs (four earned) on nine hits with five punchouts.
Greenwood gave way to Dan Runzler for the eighth and the Bisons put up a three-spot of their own to go ahead. Runzler (1-2) gave up a leadoff walk and Casilla drove in the run with a grounder up the middle. Buffalo got two more in the frame and picked up the 9-6 win.
Dustin Antolin (2-2) picked up the win for his work in the eighth while Ryan Tepera earned his sixth save for his scoreless frame in the ninth.
No Wing had multiple hits in the game as the Buffalo staff gave up six hits to six different players. Vargas had the big hit of the game with the three-RBI double.
Next Up: Rochester returns home on Friday night to being a three-game set with Toledo featuring Jason Wheeler on the hill.
Next Home Game: The Red Wings host Toledo (Tigers) for three games beginning Friday at 7:05 p.m. Friday’s game is Alzheimer’s Awarness Night hosted by Wings pitcher Logan Darnell. Rochester will wear special purple jerseys that will be auctioned off with all the proceeds benefitting Alzheimer’s research. A silent auction will also take place.
Leave a Reply